Mysterious purple aurora on Mars

Scientists discovered aurora at the northern hemisphere of Mars, something never seen before.

Strange aura on Mars

Artwork: University of Colorado

The MAVEN probe of the US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) found that aurora phenomenon glowed on Mars in mid-December last year . It takes place throughout the northern hemisphere from December 8 to 23, at a lower altitude than any previous aurora.

The aurora occurs when charged particles originating from the Sun interact with the atmosphere of a planet . On Earth, this light often appears above the extreme north and south sky. However, in the past, the new scientific observations have observed aurora on the southern hemisphere of the red planet, where the magnetic field is strongest.

" We are seeing aurora does not connect with magnetic regions. We do not know it only happens where we observe, or it is distributed globally , " New Scientist quoted Bruce Jakosky as saying. MAVEN mission commander, said.

At the time of observation, the Sun releases electrons at a high enough energy level to penetrate deep into the Martian atmosphere. This plays an important role in this bizarre event. The team currently has no exact answer to the phenomenon.